More evidence suggests Apple has plans for 10th anniversary of retail

Evidence continues to mount that Apple plans to do something to commemorate the tenth anniversary of its retail endeavors, though whether the event would be a new product unveiling or something else remains a mystery.

Citing a "solid Apple source," Boy Genius Report said on Monday that Apple "may be planning something big" to commemorate the anniversary coming this Thursday, May 19. That aligns with an exclusive AppleInsider report from April that revealed Apple had restricted employee time off in May.

Specifically, retail employees were told last month via e-mail that they could not request days off between May 20 and May 22, and that store managers were "very excited" about those dates.

The latest report claims that an overnight shift has been planned at each store that will require between 10 and 15 workers to work late Saturday through mid-Sunday. During that overnight shift, employees will reportedly be required to lock their cell phones in the main office, and will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Apple.

Those employees are apparently from a variety of roles including Geniuses, Specialists, a manager, visuals staff, a business team member, and a back-of-house employee. Stores have already received hardware to install, and more is expected to arrive later this week.

The report also states that Apple employees will put up black curtains so customers cannot see inside as they work, and employees have had to download gigabytes of password-protected data related to corporate training.

Adding even more fuel to the fire, MacStories also reported on Monday that Apple has scheduled store meetings at a very early 7 a.m. start time this Sunday, May 22. Boy Genius Report said there are also mandatory meetings set to be held in the evening.

No details of what Apple could be planning have surfaced, though one potential product could be the rumored iCloud service that is expected to play a major role in future versions of iOS and Mac OS, and also offer streaming music and media capabilities. In April, Reuters reported that Apple's work on its new streaming music service was "completed," while a separate report claimed that Apple has inked deals with two major record labels.

Apple allegedly offered no detailed specifics on its cloud-based service in negotiations, leaving those in the music industry to suggest that the Cupertino, Calif., company could choose to launch the service at any point.

Of course, it's also possible that Apple's plans could be sales and promotions related to the tenth anniversary of its successful retail locations. The first two Apple stores opened May 19, 2001 in McLean, Virginia, at the Tyson's Corner Mall, and at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.